Monday, June 4, 2012

Terrace Mall, Or Why Shopping In Japan Is Awesome.

A couple of months ago, my friend sent me an email. "Hey, there is a new mall that just opened near Fujisawa. Want to go with me?"

Ummmm...gee. That's a tough one. Let me think about it.

Terrace Mall is an absolutely enormous shopping complex located near the Sagami Bay. The nearby beaches and easy train access guarantee bustling activity at this four-story shopping paradise. It's clean, well-lit, stroller-friendly, and did I mention it's huge? The pictures can do all the talking for this post!

Welcome to Terrace Mall!

Where else but in Japan can you buy Mickey Mouse Birkenstocks?

A bit pricier than in the States, but also with more style.

Of course.

Not the biggest H&M on the Kanto Plain...

...but it does have a section for kids! Happy dance!

Already overwhelmed? Wondering where to find a snack, or if
the mall has a Zara? Head to the closest information sign for help!

Some of the information sign is in English. Otherwise, the pictures and icons give you enough information to use it
with ease. Find the closest restroom, Italian restaurant, or the movie schedule in a matter of seconds!!

Hat stores, everywhere!

An enormous Muji, purveyor of all things sleek and label-free.

The kids' play place, Bornelund! A welcome sight for weary mommies, everywhere!

Super Sports Xebio is no Cabella's, but a respectable sporting goods store, nonetheless.

A Japanese store, the name of which I cannot remember. This is the place to go if you want your name engraved on
chopsticks, need a noren for your doorway, or want a cute, little tchotchke to mark whatever season it happens to be.
Fans, umbrellas, tea mugs, bento boxes, wash clothes, and chopstick rests galore, all in the cutest patterns imaginable!

Piles of Japanese cuteness

And my PERSONAL favorite, Lush. If soap were candy, this is what it would look and smell like.

Admire a demo of their fizzy, bath balls. Pause by the lotion counter to experience their latest exfoliation technique. Inhale deeply and don't leave without a shopping bag. This is deployment pampering at its finest!

In addition to the familiar, Western brand names, there are also miles of chic, Japanese clothing stores.
They are staffed by impeccably fresh-faced, chic young women who keep these chic stores impossibly
neat, while wearing chic, towering heels. So please, no sweat pants at Terrace Mall.

Don't forget about the home stores. Plenty of those, too. Make sure to pop in! It's an
enlightening experience for Americans to sit in Japanese furniture. The height of
everything is much lower, and of course, the seating doesn't need to be nearly as wide.

Men need Coach, too.

This one is for a friend of mine, who I am trying to tempt into another Japan visit this summer. You know who you are.

Terrace Mall is also a great location for Date Night. Plenty of cute, outdoor cafes!

Why Blog?

This blog is for us, the spouses of American military stationed in Japan (but all are welcome to stop by!). We fell in love with someone amazing, maybe had a kid or two, and then moved to this wonderful but foreign country. We were too jet-lagged to remember anything we learned in orientation classes or maybe all we could think about was that our spouse was deploying next week. Now we are here for several years and have to figure out how to live: with kids, language barrier, deployed spouse, and absent extended families. But we can do it! The outer trappings of Japan may look different, but the core is still the same. Japanese mommies still feed their kids baby food. Japanese look for good deals at the grocery store. Japanese parents want strollers that fit on the trains. Deep down, we all speak the same language.No matter where we live in the world, people are still people. Ganbatte- you can do it!